A soon-to-be-launched parking reservation system at the Muir Woods National Monument and environmental impacts at the park will be the subject of a public forum in Mill Valley.

The reservation system will allow the National Park Service to meter the number of visitors in advance of their arrival. The park service’s ferry to Alcatraz operates similarly, with visitors purchasing tickets in advance for a specific time. The system will operate 365 days a year.

The public forum will offer more details on the plan. The event is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the Tamalpais Valley Community Center at 203 Marin Ave.

“Making a parking and shuttle reservation will be fast and easy,” said Carey Feierabend, deputy superintendent with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. “The new system will improve the overall visitor experience by allowing visitors to plan their trip in advance while enhancing the protection and preservation of the surrounding natural resources.”

Park officials say the monument’s parking, transit and pedestrian access functions are antiquated and damage Muir Woods’ fragile natural resources. Parking at Muir Woods can be a mess on weekends and summer days, in particular.

But some environmentalists say while the system might ease traffic around the park, it won’t necessarily benefit species at and around Muir Woods.

“Generally speaking, the number of visitors under the reservation system will be the same, but just spread out over a greater amount of time,” said Laura Chariton, president of the Watershed Alliance of Marin. “You will still have the same amount of contact between humans and the biodiversity.”

Park service officials have stated that with the reservation system in place, annual visitation is expected to be reduced from about 1.1 million people annually to 924,000.

Chariton did praise the larger effort to reduce parking around Muir Woods that has taken away the ability of cars to park adjacent to creeks and streams.

Muir Woods/Frank’s Valley Road had room for about 400 cars at the park. But that number was reduced to 110 spaces last year by installing 1,000 wooden posts and cable fencing as barriers.

In the park’s main lot, San Diego-based Ace Parking Management Inc. will operate the reservation system beginning Jan. 16, and will initially charge $8 to park. Presently, parking at Muir Woods is free and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Advertisement

“Visitors will be required to use a reservation system to reserve a time to visit the park,” the park service said in a report on the topic, noting the average stay is 2.4 hours with an average of 3.1 people per car.

In addition to setting up the reservation system, the operator will have staff to guide cars to parking and provide general management of the site’s 232 spaces.

Visitors arriving by commercial carrier or on foot or bicycle will not be required to use the reservation system or pay fees associated with it. Reservations will be made through a website and call center.

Tuesday’s meeting will also address a memorandum of understanding between Marin County and the National Park Service signed in January 2016 to address the impact of the hundreds of thousands of visitors the national monument attracts each year. The memorandum calls for the county and park service to participate in yearly appraisals.

In 2015, Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, developed a seven-year plan to protect the environment while eliminating parking on a road near Muir Woods to establish traffic and parking solutions that have irked neighbors and vexed the National Park Service.